“Digital tools to improve student learning outcomes in education

for sustainability”

Britt GowHawkesdale P12 College

November, 2014

@brittgow brittgow@gmail.com

Introduce yourself on the Padlet wall

• http://padlet.com/brittgow1/aaee

• Padlet is an online, virtual pin-board• Double click anywhere on the wall and start

typing• It can be customized for title, background,

security settings (privacy) and URL.

Teacher

Student Parent

Traditional classrooms

Student

Teacher Parent

Contemporary classrooms

Student

Teacher Parent

School Family

Peers

Knowledge

Skills Attitudes

Traditional Learning

KnowledgeSkills

Attitudes

Contemporary Learning

Knowledge Skills Attitudes

LiteracyNumeracy

Disciplinary (Science, History, Geography etc)

Critical thinkingCollaboration

CommunicationCreativity

Media skillsTechnology skills

EmpathyConfidencePersistence

OrganisationResilienceTeamworkFlexibility

VCE Environmental Science

• Energy and Greenhouse Gases, including a case-study comparison between a fossil fuel and non-fossil energy source

• Biodiversity, including a case study of a local threatened species

• Pollution• Applied Environmental Science, including

Environmental Management Systems

@ScienceMagsMagdeline Lum, a

Metallurgist, photographer and science writer from

Perth

@genegeekCatherine Anderson, a geneticist from Canada.

Melissa Toifl is our CSIRO Scientists in Schools partner, who works with Land and Water Technologies at Highett and Clayton.

Slideshare and YouTube are used to share teaching and learning resources with other

students and teachers of VCE Environmental Science.

http://www.slideshare.net/brittgow

https://www.youtube.com/user/brittgow/videos

VCE Environmental Science Online

• Running since 2010 with 4 to 8 students each year online and up to 15 students at Hawkesdale P12 College

• Meet at Ecolinc, Bacchus Marsh and study camps in July (Grampians) and September (Apollo Bay).

• Students from Ballarat, Shepparton, Bairnsdale, Eltham, Yea, Taralgon, Collingwood and Dandenong.

Benefits of online study• Can work at student’s own pace, in their own

environment.• Using online tools is expected of students in

tertiary study and future employment.• Can provide expertise in schools that currently

don’t have a teacher, or not enough students choosing the subject.

• Provides an alternative to face-

to-face classes.

Benefits of online study

• Students go on to tertiary courses such as Bachelor of Science, Land Conservation and Wildlife Management, Veterinary Science and Environmental Engineering.

• Even if their tertiary studies and future employment does not have a direct environmental focus, they have sustainability knowledge and skills.

Challenges of online study

• Not supported by timetable constraints or department systems

• Technology is not always reliable• Some students do not have the necessary

attributes that allow success in an online environment (eg. Motivation, independent learning skills, optimism and flexibility)

• Not ideal for an Env Sci course – outdoors & hands-on

http://quizlet.com/Brittgow

Questions around Blended Learning Environments

http://moourl.com/Learn2014

Thank you for your participation in this workshop session.

Please contact me if you have any questions, contributions or if you

would like to explore these questions further.

brittgow@gmail.combrittgow @ Twitter